Historical Restaurant Leads Green Trend in Chinatown

China Pearl, one of the oldest restaurants in Boston Chinatown, is about to undertake a new initiative in the community – going green.

China Pearl was announced the winner of the Sustainable Storefronts Design Competition in January. The restaurant has started their renovation project this June. The competition was sponsored by Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), the Asian American Civic Association (AACA) and the Boston Architectural College (BAC). SixChinatownbusinesses teamed up with different groups of BAC students to work on individual green storefront designs to compete for a $20,000 award.

Brian Moy, owner of China Pearl, is excited about the big renovation project on his 52-year-old restaurant. Upon completion, China Pearl will be the first green restaurant inChinatown. He is currently working with a design team on the final design of the storefront, which includes green elements such as natural light and clean energy production.

“We plan to invest about $150,000 to $200,000 on this project in addition to the money awarded,” said Moy. “We will incorporate bamboo into our design, featuring recycled material and other sustainable elements in our green storefront.”

Moy also believes that being green is not only essential to environmental conservation but also economic savings. He hopes that China Pearl will set a good example for Chinatown businesses.

“China Pearl has been a staple in the community and a leader in business for so many years,” said Moy. “Hopefully the rest of the business community will be able to see the benefits of investing into their property/business for the long run through observing our renovation.”

Chau-ming Lee, executive director of AACA, also thought that going green will develop into a trend inChinatown.

“Being green is business saving. Think of the cuts in electricity and water bills due to the installation of LED lights and storm water management. Most people will eventually buy into the trend,” said Lee.

With the design work spearheaded, Moy expects the renovation work to start this September and be completed before the Chinese New Year.

“We consider our project as a showcase inChinatown,” said Moy. “With a new green storefront, we expect to attract more customers, improve streetscapes and at the same time, show the community that a green business can save resources and help environment.”